Posts Tagged ‘systemlookup’

The CLSID List was originally started by Tony Klein as the BHO List, to catalog good and bad Internet Explorer Browser Helper Objects (BHOs). Over the years and across many different homes, it has expanded in scope to cover Toolbars, URLSearchHooks, and Explorer Bars, and has cemented its place as a truly invaluable resource to the online anti-malware community.

(Have you ever asked for malware-removal help at one of the many different HijackThis Log analysis forums? Your helper(s) likely used the list to help you out.)

A huge congratulations goes out to Tony Klein, miekiemoes, and all of the other contributors (and everyone who has submitted unknown items for investigation) for passing 60k! 🙂

Attempts to visit any page on the site are redirect to a brief message:

You have arrived at the CastleCops website, which is currently offline. It has been our pleasure to investigate online crime and volunteer with our virtual family to assist with your computer needs and make the Internet a safer place. Unfortunately, all things come to an end. Keep up the good fight folks, for the spirit of this community lies within each of us. We are empowered to improve the safety and security of the Internet in our own way. Let us feel blessed for the impact we made and the relationships created.

Some people may not know how tirelessly Paul, Robin (his wife), and numerous volunteers worked on the site, for the benefit of the Internet community. They provided invaluable resources, help, and (in recent years) tools to take up the fight against phishers and the other scum of the Internet. And for everything it was, it was a success.

So while it’s a sad to see such a great resource go down, I’m grateful for everything they were able to accomplish. The Internet is a better place today because of CastleCops, and those who helped make it what it was.

I am happy, however, to note that not all of the resources that CastleCops provided have been lost to the ether.

A few months ago, we offered assistance to Tony Klein and all of the other “malware list” creators, editors and maintainers should it be needed. The fruits of that labor are SystemLookup.com, the new home for the malware lists formerly hosted on CastleCops. Everything is there – the CLSID list, Startups, and the O9, O10, O16, O18, O20, O21, O22, O23 lists. We’ve even added some new lists (ShellExecuteHooks), with more likely to arrive soon. All of the lists are maintained around the clock by a top-notch team of some of the best in the Internet community.

In addition, many others who worked tirelessly to contribute to CastleCops have continued their missions on other sites and forums. A fitting tribute, perhaps, that even if CastleCops has not lasted to fight the scum of the Internet, those who it helped inspire may.